The present invention related to an information terminal unit, and in particular, to a portable information terminal unit of a foldable note-book type, having a plurality of functions.
As portable personal information terminal units, these days, there have been prosperously used electronic notes, electronic dictionaries, portable televisions, minidisk units, portable information communication units such as mobile terminal units including portable telephones which can transmit and receive information signals at remote positions.
Portable terminal units (PDA) have been known as portable information communication terminal units, which incorporate a transmitting and receiving function capable of transmitting and receiving image data, and among these portable information communication terminal units, the one is coupled to a portable telephone, that is, it can be separated from the latter, and the one is integrally incorporated with a portable telephone. These portable information communication terminal unit can transmit and receive not only image data but also voice data when it is used as a telephone.
In general, a notebook type portable information terminal unit is composed of two panels hinged to each other, and in use, after the panels are opened, a liquid crystal display unit provided on the inside of one of the panels is observed while keys or switches provided on the inside of the other one of the panels are manipulated. However, with the portable information terminal unit of this type, the liquid crystal display unit cannot be observed if the two panels are closed, and accordingly, a necessary minimum volume of information such as a power consumption of a battery for driving the information terminal unit or the present condition of information communication thereof cannot hardly be known from the outside thereof.
Further, portable information communication terminal units which carry out collection, processing, and transmission and reception of data as its main objects, at a destination and which can transmit and receive color image data have been more and more prosperous, and are now used in combination with a portable telephone so as to enable communication of both color image data and voice data. Some of them are used for talking with the other person while confirming the face of the other person. However, the portable information communication terminal units as mentioned above, are relatively bulky, and accordingly, are less portability.
Further, in such an arrangement that a portable terminal unit is used with a portable telephone, both portable terminal unit and telephone should be carried, and accordingly, the portability thereof is still less.
Accordingly, the applicant proposed, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an information communication terminal unit, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. H9-226800, which comprises an upper and a lower casing which are rotatably attached to each other through the intermediary of a coupling part, liquid crystal display parts provided respectively on the upper and lower casing, on which image data and a touch panel are displayed, respectively, and a video-camera accommodated in the coupling part, the video-camera being rotatable, independent from the casings, so as to allow the video-camera to freely change its direction.
However, the above-mentioned information communication terminal unit has relatively high power consumption since two large size liquid crystal display parts are incorporated therein. Since this portable information communication terminal unit usually uses a battery as a power source, it is desirable to minimize power consumption as far as possible. Further, when information is received even on carrying of the portable information communication terminal unit, it cannot be confirmed unless the casings are opened in order to observe the content of the information displayed on the liquid crystal display part after the portable communication terminal unit is taken up. In view of the this fact, it has been desirable to confirm the content of information at one glance without opening the casings.
The present invention is devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-functional information communication terminal unit which is excellent in portability, which can reduce the power consumption so as to be convenient in use.
To the end, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information terminal unit comprising a first and a second casing, a hinge means coupling the first and second casings with each other so that the first and second casing are relatively rotatable with respect to each other, an opening piercing through the first casing, a see-through first liquid crystal display part fitted in the opening, and a manipulation part incorporated in the second casing, a means for detecting an opening of the first and second casing, a control means for reversing a display on the see-through first liquid crystal display part in response to a detection by the detecting means.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information terminal unit comprising a first and second casings, a hinge means for coupling the first and second casing with each other so that the first and second casing are relatively rotatable with respect to each other, an opening piercing through the first casing, a see-through first liquid crystal display part fitted in the opening, and a second liquid crystal display part provided in the second casing, a means for detecting an opening of the first and second casings, and a control means for reversing a display on the see-through first liquid crystal display part in response to a detection by the detecting means.
According to a specific embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, the first and second casing are set in such a relationship that the see-through first liquid crystal display part is superposed with the second liquid crystal display part at least in part of the latter when the first and second casing are closed being mated with each other.
With this arrangement, even though the first and second casing are closed being superposed with each other, information displayed on the see-through first liquid crystal part can be observed from the outside. Further, information displayed on the second liquid crystal display part can be observed through the see-through first liquid crystal display part. Thus, it is possible to eliminate the necessity of opening the casings in order to confirm the content of the information, Further, a small-sized liquid crystal display panel is used in the see-through first liquid crystal display part, and accordingly, no relatively high power is required for a display on the see-through liquid crystal display part.
Further, according to another specific embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, the see-through first liquid crystal display part is monochromatic, and the second liquid crystal display part is multicolored.
In this specific embodiment, a large-sized high power consumption multi-colored liquid crystal display part is provided on one of the casings, and a small-sized lower power consumption monochromatic liquid display part is provided on the other one of the casings, and accordingly, information which can be monochromatically displayed is displayed on the see-through liquid crystal display part without using the multicolored liquid crystal display part, thereby it is possible to reduce the power consumption. Further, even though the casings are superposed with each other, that is, are closed, the multicolored liquid crystal display part can be observed through the see-through liquid crystal display part, thereby it is possible to observe not only an information displayed on the see-through liquid crystal display part but also an information displayed on the multi-colored liquid crystal display part.
Further, according to another specific form of the second aspect of the present invention, a video camera is incorporated in the above-mentioned coupling part so as to be rotatable, independent from the first and second casing, and accordingly, the direction of the video-camera can be freely changed. According to the present invention, since the video-camera whose direction can be freely changed, is provided, an image from an object located in an arbitrary direction can be picked up, irrespective of the opening or closing of the above-mentioned casings. Further, during pick-up of an image, if the first and second casing are opened, the above-mentioned see-though liquid crystal display panel can be used as a finder for the video-camera, thereby it is possible to enhance the convenience thereof in use.